


Potions Class

by SlySlytherin97



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bad Albus Dumbledore, Bad Narcissa Malfoy, Bad Ron Weasley, Good Draco Malfoy, Good Lucius Malfoy, Good Severus Snape, I'm Bad At Tagging, Out of Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:13:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 18,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22949899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlySlytherin97/pseuds/SlySlytherin97
Summary: What if instead of snapping on Harry in his first potions class ever for writing down what Snape is saying, Snape notices this and slowly the two get along? CHARACTERS MAY BE OCCThis is my first proper fanfiction and I would love some feedback on it. Please comment on your feelings or if I have something you think I need to change. Thank you for reading.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 62





	1. Prologue

_AN: I do NOT own Harry Potter_. ' _Italics': Thoughts._

Harry Potter LOVED Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. See, Harry had grown up in a dreadful house, well, the house itself wasn't exactly horrible, it was the people inside it who were frightful. For as long as he could remember he had been the Dursley's slave; cooking all the meals, cleaned the house and was the gardener. If Dudley Dursley was naughty, Harry was condemned. This was because his family were normal. Thank you very much. Harry, however, was anything besides normal. He was remarkably intelligent, sporty had an eidetic memory.

When Hagrid arrived at the Cabin, Harry was shocked. No one ever came looking for him. Then Hagrid explained about magic and that Harry himself was a wizard. While looking for his school supplies in Diagon Alley, Harry discovered a plethora of books. Some described the Wizarding World as a whole. Some about the basics of his classes. However, the most surprising were numerous books about himself. Harry read as many books as he could that day, the ones he didn't have time for he bought.

That day while standing for his robes, Harry met a fellow student by the name of Draco Malfoy. Although he seemed a bit arrogant, like Dudley, Harry recognised that the blond knew everything there was to know about his new world. This meant when on the Hogwarts Express, Harry stood up for Draco Malfoy against the annoying red-head who kept asking about being the-boy-who-lived. During the Sorting Ceremony, Harry was placed into the house of Slytherin. Much to the shock of the student body and staff. Looking around after the hat's declaration, Harry noticed each house's reactions. Gryffindor's were looking around at each other, muttering about how "wrong" it was. Ravenclaws were starting to whisper about the "why". Hufflepuff just looked confused. Meanwhile, Slytherin students had frozen. Looks of either sheer terror or outrage on their faces. Sitting down, Harry saw the looks on each of his teachers' faces. Most just looked shocked, the headmaster looked saddened. However, the greasy-haired man on the end seemed enraged. Harry swallowed. Hard.


	2. Professor Snape

"Um... Malfoy?" Harry started with eyes glued to the teachers.

"My name is Draco, use it. What's up?"

"Right, who's the man at the end of the table? Next to Professor Quirrel," Harry asked hesitantly.

Draco looked up at the head table for a moment. Then drawled, "Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin House and Potion Master." Harry carefully tore his eyes away, noticing the wary look in the man's eyes, they had been irate only a moment before. Afterwards, the headmaster sent them to bed with some arbitrarily unnecessary words. 

Entering the Hogwarts dungeons, where their common room was found, Harry was somewhat startled to see Professor Snape already inside. He noticed, however, that he seemed to be the only one to have seen the professor and decided against saying anything. "Hey Draco, let's find our dorms yeah?" Harry spoke quietly, already walking in the direction pointed out by the prefects.

The first day of classes started for Harry. He started to get nervous, for the first time, he didn't know everything about his subjects. He shuffled slowly beside Draco to the Great Hall and only ate one slice of toast for breakfast. Seeing that his first-class for the day is potions, Harry started to perk back up. 'This is something I should be able to do if it is anything like cooking'. He grabbed Draco by the sleeve and started dragging him back towards the dungeons to be the first to class. Opening the door meant he walked in the room before Draco, in doing this, he came face-to-face with his head-of-house. 'Shit' Harry thought. "Good morning, Professor Snape," Harry meekly stated. The professor looked at him like he had grown a second head, grunted and turned away.

While the professor took the roll, Harry set about organising his desk for optimal work. It shocked Harry when he heard the professor pause at his name and sneer, "Ah yes, Mr Potter, our new... celebrity." Harry was confused and a little bit saddened by his teacher's behaviour. After completing the roster, the professor began to deliver a monologue about the 'subtle art of potions.' This fascinated Harry, he started jotting notes down. The professor noticed Harry was not watching him and took a step forward to scold him. Upon the man reaching his desk, Harry looked up, visibly startled. "Sir?" The parchment he had been writing on gets snatched out of his hand. The professor's face was visibly shocked, "stay behind after class Potter," he responded sternly.


	3. Revelations

When the class ended, Harry stayed seated, haphazardly putting his stationary back in his rucksack. Within two minutes, the room was cleared, he kept his eyes on his desk while he heard his head of house approach. "Potter."

Silence. Stillness. The boy looked frozen. 'How to approach the boy? He looks decidedly terrified." Thought the older man.

"Harry. Please look at me." Harry heard the smooth, soft baritone voice pierce his eardrums and looked up. "Harry, are you alright?"

"Fine, Sir," Harry replied far too quickly.

"Please follow me." "This is going to be much harder than I thought.'

They walked through the door at the back of the classroom into a dimly lit hallway. There was a door on either side and one at the end of the corridor. The professor opened the door to the left and revealed a beautiful sitting room.

It was not a massive room but inviting and cosy with a firepit in the centre. "Stippy," Professor Snape called out. A second later, a strange little being popped into view and gave Harry a considerable fright. "Bring us your best hot chocolate and fluffiest marshmallows, please Stippy." The being popped away.

"Um, Sir?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"What-what was that creature?" Harry asked, hesitantly.

"That my young snake is a house-elf. They are magical creatures, they are very dedicated to those they consider their master. Their loyalty depends on the treatment they receive, they have their own magic and can use it to the advantage or detriment of their families. However, the little elf you just met, she is a Hogwarts elf and therefore serves all those who stay in the castle," Professor Snape explained.

"Thank you, Sir," at the confused look he received, Harry continued, "for taking time to explain to a freak like me."

"A freak, Harry?" Snape questioned genuinely confused.

"Well, that's what Aunt Petunia and Unc-"

"PETUNIA?" roared the professor, "that blasted, meddling old coot! I will KILL him for this!" He proceeded to rant and rage. Finally, his eyes caught sight of little Harry Potter, curled in on himself shaking and crying. He slowly approached the ball and gently laid his hand on the boys' shoulder blade. The ferocity of the flinch he felt under his pal, rattled him to his core. Carefully he sat down beside Harry and smoothly lifted him so that he was sitting in his lap. He held the boy and whispered words of comfort until the boy-who-had-wormed-his-way-into-the-dungeon-bats-heart, had fallen into a deep slumber. The hot-chocolate lay cold and forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: It's a short chapter, I know. However, I felt this was a good place for me to stop it. Please let me know what you think. I appreciate all the feedback you feel like giving. Thank you for reading my story.


	4. A Hard Conversation

The next morning dawned with grey clouds covering the sky. Slowly Harry's eyes blinked upon, he felt warm and safe for the first time in his life. He realised he was still being held by his professor and immediately felt heat rush to his face. _'So embarrassing._ ' Harry tried to extract himself from his professors' arms without waking the man. He managed to remove one arm before the mans' onyx eyes snapped open and locked onto Harrys' forest green ones. "Oh, um, hi Sir," Harry muttered, lowering his gaze.

"And where do you think you are going, Mister Potter?" Professor Snape asked with an inscrutable expression on his face. Harry jumped at the question.

"Well, Sir, you see, I didn't want to be a burden on you, which I already have been. I thought it would be best to leave before you woke up." Harry tried to explain.

"Silly boy! If I didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here. Simple." Harry was shocked, no adult had ever wanted him around before. He started to cry in earnest. Professor Snape pulled the young boy back into his arms. "Harry, I know this may be a tough question but what exactly did those horrid muggles do to you? Take your time answering Harry, we have all day. It's Saturday, and I have no duties so to speak of."

"Sir-"

"Harry, when we are in private, please call me Severus."

"Okay, Severus, but this is a long story. I remember everything that has happened to me since the night my parents died." Harry didn't notice, while he was talking, Severus started to pale. Harry looked into his eyes, "Yes, Sir, I know you were there. However, you don't know the rest of the story."

"How could you know that?" He was asked.

"The curse unlocked my eidetic memory." Harry re-composed himself and started his story. He talked for hours until his throat was scratchy and painful. He told Severus about him being left outside in the cold on his Aunts' doorstep with only a letter of explanation. He assured the man that the Dursely's had cared for him like their own until he displayed his first signs of accidental magic at age three. How from then on, he was kept in the cupboard under the stairs. That Petunia had taught him to cook at age four and how that was his job three times a day, every day from that time on. He explained that every time Dudley caused mischief, it was blamed on Harry. He spoke of his time in primary school, how he could never show that he was smarter than Dudley, how he was never permitted to have a friend, and how no teachers noticed. He went on to describe the punishments he would experience, from no food, being locked up, being hit with frypans, Harry Hunting and even the beatings from Vernon.When Harry finished, he let out a big sigh, realising how long he had been holding on to all of that. "Thank you for listening to me complain Severus." The man didn't respond, he was mulling over the information he had received.

"Harry, you never have to apologise. They were wrong, not you. You are the bravest young man I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I would like you to come to me anytime you need to talk. About anything." Severus finally replied, "now, it is dinner time in the great hall, and we missed both breakfast and lunch with our chat. You must be hungry, let us go eat my little snake."

They walked together to the Great Hall where Severus let Harry walk inside first and then followed a few seconds later.


	5. Halloween

As Harry neared the Slytherin table, a blond bullet shot out and pulled him into a tight hug. "Where have you been? I have been worried sick about you, all night and day," Draco frantically questioned.

Harry slowly extracted himself from the vice-like grip and took a seat between the blond and another year mate, Daphne Greengrass. Looking back at his friend, he replied, "It's a long story, but let's just say that our head-of-house and I now have a better understanding of each other." Draco looked at him blankly, clearly not understanding.

  
For the next few weeks, nothing of great importance happened to Harry. Suddenly, it was Halloween, the day Harry's parents had been murdered. Harry had been like a zombie all day, going through the motions but not taking anything in. By the time classes had finished, Draco was becoming increasingly concerned. He hauled Harry to Professor Snape's office and rapped on the door, hollering, "Professor Snape! Professor Snape."

The door swung open to show their teacher in casual clothes, a pair of black slacks and a crisp, white button-down shirt. Severus was drained from both the day of classes and due to the date, "Draco, Harry? What are you doing here?"

"Well Sir, I am not sure if you remember but today is the 10th anniversary since Harry's parents died and it has left him a little distraught," Draco replied for his friend.

"Of course I know the date idiot boy! It is the day I lost my best friend." Severus snapped harshly. He immediately regretted this reaction when he saw the shock and fear in those sharp, forest eyes. He breathed a deep breath, sighed and spoke in a quieter tone, "boys, please follow me."

He spun around and walked directly across the room to a bookcase and pulled out a book with a teal spine. As he extracted the book, the two adolescent boys heard a rumbling. The bookshelf skated sideways to unveil a doorway. When Harry stepped through, he noticed he was in the same corridor as he had been as those weeks ago. This time, the professor directed them straight across the hall. They entered the same sitting room, and each took a seat around the fire pit, Harry choosing the position that was closest to Severus.

"S-sir?" Harry spoke up hesitantly, once everyone was comfortable. At the motion of Severus's hand, he continued, "What did you mean before? When you said today was the anniversary of your best friend dying?"

Severus looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Draco, would you mind giving us some privacy?" Severus questioned but quickly added, "it's not that I don't trust you or that Harry doesn't trust you. This is because it is a private matter between the two of us."

Draco looked ready to argue until he saw the look of sheer devotion on Harry's face, "Okay, I will be in the common-room when you are done." Severus got up from his seat and showed the young boy out of his quarters.


	6. A Harder Conversation

When Severus Snape returned to his sitting-room, it was to discover his young pupil curled up once again, staring blankly into the fire. Sighing, the man entered the room further and sat down on the floor in front of the boys' chair. "Little snake," he almost whispered, "would you like to hear the story about the abused boy who met his very best friend by telling her she was a witch?" At this, Harry perked up. Slowly he turned his face to look at his teacher.

Noticing he had grabbed the boys attention, he launched into a detailed narrative about his own childhood. He talked about his mum, a witch that loved to support his potion skills. He mentioned his father, who tried to 'beat the magic out of him. 'He spoke about his first time meeting Lilly Evans, and her sister Petunia. Severus remembered how they were instant friends, Lilly was the one who gave him a refuge from his father's beatings. He told the boy about his first train ride to Hogwarts, about James Potter and Sirius Black and how they chose to target him from the moment they laid eyes on him. He spoke of his years at school, the way the tormenting only increased with the years. That his friendship with Lilly had started to deteriorate once they were sorted into different houses. He mentioned in passing the incident that almost led to him either becoming a werewolf or dying. With much regret, he spoke of the day he lost his last strands of friendship with his once best friend.

After Severus finished talking, he looked down, clearly uncertain how Harry would respond. In turn, Harry jumped off his seat into his teachers' lap and wrapped his arms around the mans' middle. "Severus, thank you for trusting me with all of that."

"You don't understand Harry, there is much more I have kept from you. Not because I don't trust you, but because I don't want to overload you all at once... Or have you hate me for my past." _"Or anyone else.'_

"I could never hate you, Severus, not now, not ever," Harry adamantly replied. Severus wrapped his arms around Harry, so they were embracing each other, placed his chin on the boys' shoulder and let out a shaky breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Short chapter, I know. Sorry about that. There is more coming, I promise.


	7. The Train Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sorry about the delay in updating. I had my internet blown up in a lightning storm. Hopefully, I will be updating more often again. I should have this and one more instalment today.

Draco was waiting for Harry in the common-room when Harry returned, just as he said he would be. He was staring into the fireplace with a forlorn expression. Harry deliberately approached him, making sure to announce his presence with a clearing of his throat. "Draco, are you alright?"

The other boy stared at him like he had grown a second head. "Am I alright? Of course, I have been worried about you. You scared me half to death!"

Harry was surprised, 'does this Draco really care that much?' "I am now, thanks to you and Professor Snape. Before coming to Hogwarts, I loved Halloween, then I found out the truth of my parents demise."

For the first time, Draco felt sorry for Harry, he had never realised just what it meant to be the-boy-who-lived before now. Draco had grown up with both his parents, his dad may have been a little distant, but he knew he loved him. His mother was always more reserved than his father, but she remained in his life. The boys walked to their dorm and fell into their respective beds.

The next two months were routine for Harry, he got up in the morning, went to the great hall with Draco for breakfast, proceeded to class, had lunch etc. When the sign-up sheet for staying during the holidays, Draco ripped the form from Harry's hand and demanded he stay at Malfoy Manor. Harry readily agreed.

When they finished the last class of the term, the boys quickly ran down to their dorms to pack their trunks for the holidays. They scrambled for forty-five minutes, finding and gathering their belongings. After they ate dinner in the Great Hall, they went to bed early, prepared for the days to come.

The next morning they Harry and Draco trekked from the dungeons to where the threstal-drawn carriage was waiting to take them to Hogsmeade Station. After a short ride, they climbed on the Hogwarts Express and found a carriage at the back of the train. Each boy took a side of the compartment and storing their trunks in the overhead holder. "So, Draco," Harry started, "what is Malfoy Manor like? What are your parents like?"

"Loaded questions there, Harry," Draco replied, " I will start with the Manor. It is a truly magnificent sight to behold. We have beautiful gardens with a fountain in the centre of the courtyard. It was originally established in the first millennia and has been added to numerous times since. Describing it will not do it justice, just wait until you see it."

Draco sighed, seemingly lost in thought, "it sounds wonderful Drake, I can't wait to see it." Harry softly said, "what about your parents?"

Draco looked at Harry and sighed again, "Well, that is harder to explain. My father is a good man who loves me with all of his heart, he acts aloof in public, but when we are alone, that mask drops away. He used to read me bedtime stories and fix all of my hurts, most people believe he is a bad man, but that is because of my mother,"

"You see, she was a Black, they are notoriously Dark and known for going insane. When their marriage was first arranged, father was relieved. Of all the Black sisters, at least it was Narcissa he was fated to be with. However, all that changed after the actual bonding-ceremony, they consummated the bond and conceived me all in one go. At least that is the way father tells it. All I know is that my mother never wanted me, let alone another child..." Draco trailed off, thinking about his childhood. Harry was shocked by what his best friend told him, he had no idea Draco's mother was so cold towards her family. "This is going to be interesting," Harry thought.


	8. Malfoy Manor

The Hogwarts Express pulled into the platform, at Kings Cross Station and both boys disembarked the train, Harry following a step behind his blond friend. The first glance Harry got of the Malfoy parents took his breath away. Both stood imperiously, with a small bubble of space around them, their heads held high and eyes searching for their only child. Draco made a beeline for the elder Malfoy's, with Harry only a step behind him. "Father!" Draco exclaimed as he flung himself into his dad's arms.

"Son," Lucius said with a sparkle in his eyes before turning to look at the other boy with his son, "And you must be Mr Harry Potter. Come, you both must be hungry and tired, let's get you home. Harry, have you ever travelled by portkey before?"

"Uh, no, Sir, I don't even know who Portkey is. Sorry," Harry replied blushing, embarrassed by his lack of magical knowledge. Narcissa Malfoy gave a disgusted snort and turned away.

Lucius smiled softly and pulled out an old newspaper. He began to explain how portkey's are a form of magical transport used by Wizards and Witches to get from one place to another. Lucius instructed the three people with him to grab hold of the newspaper. Within a few seconds, each person felt a pull. All of a sudden they were pulled into a whirlwind, and soon arrived at their destination. Harry felt extremely nauseous and dizzy, instantly falling on his bum. Slowly he looked around himself, they were standing in front of enormous wrought-iron gates. Lucius seized Harry by the wrist and placed his palm to the centre of the gate. They swung open with a loud CREAK!

As soon as Lucius and Harry had stepped through the gates, Harry felt himself being jostled from behind. He was knocked down once more. When he looked up, it was to see the Malfoy matriarch step over his body and stalk of toward the immense, opulent mansion standing in front of him. "Mother! How dare you?!" screeched Draco while he rushed to help his friend back up.

Harry took a shaky breath and let Draco haul him up, he looked to his left and saw the garden Draco had spoken of. There were white and pink primroses, tulips, purple snakeshead, pink dianthus, lily of the valley and wood anemone scattered all around, with a fountain situated in the centre. He was overwhelmed with the sight and smell that emanated from the garden, he became rapidly enamoured. Lucius and Draco stood back, as they fondly observed their guest take the view in front of them.

Finally remembering where he was, Harry embarrassed, turned back to the other people with him and apologised. Both the Malfoy men waved his worries off and proceeded toward the house with Harry trailing behind them. The front doors to the Manor were imposing, made from polished redwood with engravings carved all over. The Malfoy patriarch opened turned the handle and revealed the walls within. Upon entering, they saw a large, white marble staircase ascending to the next level of the house lined with emerald green carpet. Seeing the curious look on his young guests' face, Lucius turned to his son and suggested, "Dragon, why don't you give Harry the royal tour."

Draco readily agreed and started to show Harry around his house. First, he showed him the upper levels of the house, starting with the top floor. On this floor there were only a few rooms, one was the Library, filled from head to toe in rows upon rows of books. Another chamber on the highest floor was named the 'training room', this was a large area with four duelling mannequins lined up against the farthest wall. Draco also pointed to a door and insisted that Harry not enter it unless instructed by Lucius as it was his office.

The second level was vastly different, circular in shape. It had a common-room in the middle and then had ten doors leading to several bedrooms. The bedroom across from the staircase had an ornate gold plate with the word 'Master' inscribed on it. Directly across from this door was another, this time with a silver plate engraved with 'Dragon.' Draco walked toward the second door but instead stopped at the one next to it. He opened the door, encouraged Harry inside and said, " This will be your room 'Ry, mine is next door, and the master bedroom is Dads'. I doubt you noticed it but the door marked with a bronze plate and the word 'Narc', that is mothers' room."

Finally, they descended the stairs once more, Draco took him to each room, first he showed the small family sitting room, and then the conservatory. Next, Draco showed off the opulent drawing-room, the most magnificent chamber in the house. He explained that every year the Malfoy family hosted a Christmas Ball. The last place Harry was shown was a set of stairs, leading under the house that the Malfoy heir told him led to the kitchen and dungeons. Because of Draco's tone, Harry became instantly wary of such a place and vowed not to go down there by himself.

Eventually, the tour was over, and both boys felt exhausted, they made their way back up to the second floor. They bid each other goodbye and entered their respective bedrooms. Harry wandered gently over to the bed and looked around his room, he took in every detail with his sharp forest green eyes. He noticed the walls were painted an emerald green colour, and that the bedsheets matched, as did the curtains. The windowsills and bedframe were painted in a dark grey, giving off a very Slytherin vibe. The walls were lined with iron wall sconces, and the fireplace was situated opposite the bed. He had never stayed in such an elaborate place, nor did he think he would ever feel so at home. He was so glad he accepted Draco's invitation and couldn't wait to see what else was to come. ****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: A bit of a longer chapter, as promised. I apologise if I have got any details wrong, I did look up details on Malfoy Manor but they were few and far between. Hopefully, it turned out alright. Please let me know your opinions by commenting. I would love some feedback on what I have done wrong or right.


	9. Christmas Holiday Surprise

The next day Draco woke Harry up by jumping onto his bed and tickling him. Harry hadn't remembered where he was though and immediately swung a fist up and hit Draco in the jaw. After they had a good giggle, they proceeded down the marble staircase to the dining room where Lucius was waiting at the head of the table reading a newspaper. He heard them approach and set aside the paper, lifted his head and looked curiously at the young boys. He cast a 'Tempus' charm and confirmed that was 7.15 am. Looking back at Draco and Harry, Lucius inquired as to why they were awake so early on the first day of the holidays and why Draco seemed to be developing a black eye. Harry grumbled something about Draco that didn't quite reach Lucius's ears and his son blushed.

"What was that, Harry?" asked Lucius.

"No-nothing, sir," muttered Harry, eyes downcast. Lucius frowned, and glanced toward his son who was looking straight back at him.

"Draco," he prompted.

Draco gulped and told his father about waking Harry up, as well as his reaction to said wake up. He also revealed that he had only done to get breakfast out of the way before his mother arose. Understanding what his son was alluding to Lucius couldn't fault the logic. However, before he could call his personal elf Dobby to bring them all breakfast, they heard a BANG! And looked up to see the woman strutting into the room. She had a scowl on her face, and her nose was scrunched up like she could smell something rotten. Narcissa looked at each person, glaring at them all. She walked purposefully to the opposite end of the long table and sat down.

Lucius to bring the situation to a semblance of normalcy by announcing, "Dragon, I have some news for you, your Godfather with be making an appearance tonight and staying for the remainder of the holiday."

"Who is you Godfather, Drake?" Harry questioned, finally getting the nerve to speak up.

"What Draco hasn't told you? Of course he hasn't, nobody wants you here," Narcissa spat spitefully.

In the blink of an eye, several things happened at once, Harry reared back as if slapped, his eyes watered and he shrunk into his seat. Draco stared at his mother in open-mouthed horror. Lucius sprang out of his chair and aimed his wand at her. Narcissa faced them, mirth in her eyes and a smug smile grotesquely pulling at her lips. Instantly they knew they had reacted the way she wanted and corrected their facial expressions. She stood, sniffed imperiously and stalked back out of the room. Lucius immediately dropped into his chair and planted his head in his hands. Draco looked worriedly at Harry who hadn't moved an inch since his mother spoke.

"Harry? You do know that what she said was a lie, right?" Draco questioned in a whisper, scared to hear the answer.

Lucius looked up, he noticed the concerned look on his sons' face, and terrified face of Harry and subsequently stepped in, "Harry, you are very desired in this home. It is that harpy of a woman I was forced to marry, who isn't welcome. Sadly, our marriage contract specified that we stay in the same house, or I would have kicked her out years ago," Lucius said gently with a slight giggle at the end.

Harry looked up at the Malfoy men, hope glistened in his eyes, "Do you really mean that Mr Malfoy? Only, I know I am a burden on the adults around me. Although Professor Snape didn't seem to agree with me."

"You are no burden. Harry, you are simply a young child, who is my Dragons' best friend. You have already made him a better person. I hope you continue to do so," Lucius assured his young guest, "Now, Dragon, take your broom and a spare and teach Harry the basics of flying. I will have Dobby watch you and tell me if there is any trouble."

For the rest of the morning, Draco showed Harry how to call, mount and hover on his broomstick. Harry had a marvellous time with Draco, he got to enjoy being a child for the first time in his life. After they had a quick lunch, with Lucius, the boys went to Draco's room and played Wizards Chess (Draco won every single game - there were seven). Suddenly, there was a small **_pop_** , and a house-elf arrived in the bedroom. "Dobby be's sorry's for interrupting's young master's and the Great Harry Potters' games but's Master Lucius be's asking's for you's to meet's him's in the family sitting's room's," the young elf said and bowed low.

Quickly the boys raced downstairs and bounded into the room. Draco entered first, and Harry heard him yell, "Godfather!" Harry entered the room mere seconds later and found an unexpected person in the room.

"Professor Snape? What are you doing here?" Harry questioned.


	10. A Godfathers' Promise

A short silence followed Harrys' question. Lucius wondered why Draco hadn't told Harry about their relationship with the professor. Before he could explain the situation, someone else spoke up.

Severus cleared his throat and began to talk. "Little snake how good it is to see you again. I am sorry that I didn't tell you about this earlier, honestly, I thought Draco would. Lucius and I have been close for many years, he is like a brother to me. When Draco was born, Lucius snuck away from his wife and sought me out. He asked me to be the Godfather of his child.

"I eagerly agreed, this man had done so much for me and was asking so little in return. You see, when your mother and I had our falling out, Lucius was the one who helped put me back together," Snape blabbed. He only realised how much he had said when he caught the open-mouthed stares from the Malfoy men, "I apologise for talking out of turn Luc."

Harry looked like he understood, Draco was nodding along, and Lucius didn't reply at first deep in thought, 'I wonder what that was about. Severus isn't one to freely give up information, to anyone.' Slowly he returned back to reality and shook his head. "Sev, you have no need to apologise to me. You said nothing that I wouldn't have. In fact, you might have said more," Lucius said with a knowing twinkle in his eye.

Severus Snape blushed, cleared his throat and looked at Harry and Draco, "now my cheeky little brats, get over here and give me a hug."

They both took off toward him, Draco reaching first with Harry only a moment behind. With his arms separated, Severus calmly caught the two boys on impact and embraced them both. Draco let go first and took a step back. Harry stayed close for a moment longer and whispered, "I missed you, Severus."

Both boys retreated and sat down on a two-seater couch together. Harry looked much happier and couldn't help but ask, "Prof-"

"Severus, Harry we are with family, it's Severus," the man quickly assured the young boy.

"Severus, Lucius said this morning that Draco's godfather was coming to stay for the holidays. I now know that is you but are you REALLY staying the whole holidays?" Harry questioned. With a fond smile, Severus assured Harry he was staying. Harry saw the truth in his eyes and started bouncing up and down with excitement.

Suddenly, Lucius was sitting straighter and looking behind Harry. Harry noticed this body language and realised the Narcissa must have walked into the sitting room. He turned his head slightly so that Severus was in his line of sight. The man had a look on his face, the one he usually reserved for the Gryffindor students. Narcissa tutted and turned to face her husband. "You bring this - this horrible excuse for a half-blood into my house again?! If it wasn't bad enough we are hosting the saviour," she said spitting the title, "now I have to put up with this- THING!" She finished in a shriek, face red and pointed a bony finger at Severus Snape.

Severus smirked and then outright laughed. After he calmed himself down, he smirked at the woman who had since gone pale. "Oh Narcissa, you have forgotten your place in this house. You are not wanted, nor are you needed here. You are here for one reason alone because we haven't been able to revoke your contract yet. However, what you didn't know is that the goblins I asked to take on this case, have finally managed it. You made a mistake, I won't tell you what it was. You should know. Now you have a year to move out of the Manor," Severus stated smugly.

Narcissa stumbled backward and backed out of the room. Severus turned to the others in the room to gauge their reaction. Lucius looked relieved like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder. "thank you, my old friend," he said sincerely.

Harry looked proud, gave him a thumbs up and mouthed "well done."

Finally, he looked at Draco. He sat there, not moving. "Draco?" the man nervously asked. The boy shot out of his chair and ran out of the room quicker than anyone could react.


	11. A Resolution

There was a moment of silence, each person caught up in their own thoughts. Harry was confused with his friends' behaviour. After the chat they had on the train he thought that Severus's actions should have been praised, not shunned. Severus felt guilty, he had just taken Draco's mother away from him. Lucius was disappointed, he had believed his son would have agreed. Harry looked at the adults and wondered if he should follow his friend. However, before he could offer, Lucius strode from the room at break-neck speed. Left with Severus, Harry wasn't sure what to do. "Are you okay, Severus?" Harry questioned nervously noticing the faraway look in the mans' eyes.

Severus Snape had been spiralling in guilt until he heard the words from his young student. Snapped out of his thoughts, he turned to Harry and looked at him properly. He shook like a leaf, and his eyes showed a range of emotions: concern, pride, fear, anger, shock and embarrassment. Severus walked over to the loveseat Harry was sitting upon and gently sat beside him. He placed an arm around the boys' shoulders, and said, "No Harry, not really. I was trying to help a good friend and in doing so may have caused irreparable harm. I may have lost my godson."

The man sighed, and Harry noticed a stray tear fall down his face. Harry wanted nothing more than to take the mans' pain away. "Severus, Draco will forgive you. He told me about his mother, not that she could really be called that. He wanted nothing to do with her. He may be in shock. She is the woman who gave birth to him," Harry tried to explain.

Severus thought on this and decided Harry was right. He pulled the boy into a tight hug and whispered, "Thank you, Little Snake. You are wise beyond your years."

Harry fiercely hugged the man back. They were interrupted a minute later by a throat being cleared. Spinning around, they found both Draco and Lucius standing in the doorway. Lucius had an amused look on his face, with a twinkle in his eye. Draco, on the other hand, had a strange look on his face. He looked both guilty and amused. It was quite a combination on his pale complexion. Draco slowly took a step forward into the room and Severus took a step back. 

This stopped Draco in his tracks, and he lowered his head. "Uncle Sev, I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I am grateful that you are helping Dad. The thing is I still love her even after everything. I know I probably shouldn't. I think she loves me too, deep down. I don't think she knows HOW to show it," Draco said contritely, still looking toward the floor.

Severus heaved out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding. He fell to his knees and started to weep, muttering, "I thought I had lost you." Over and over again.

Draco ran forward and pulled his Godfather into a bear hug. Harry sensed the privateness of their moment and shuffled away from Severus's side. Eventually, he came to stand next to the Malfoy patriarch. Lucius looked to his right and saw the Potter boy standing beside him. "Thank you, Harry," he said sincerely.

"For what, Sir?"

"For being there for both of them, they are both so lonely," Lucius sighed.

"And what about you, Mr Malfoy? Are you lonely too?" Harry questioned innocently.

"Very."

Harry wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't expected the man to answer him. Grown-ups usually told him to mind his own business. They stood in silence together and observed the scene before them. Finally, Draco and Severus pulled apart, both had tears streaming down their faces. The two of them looked more peaceful than Harry had ever seen them.


	12. Christmas

On Christmas morning, Draco quietly snuck into Harry's bedroom. He pounced on Harry's bed, "WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" He yelled. Harry used to this kind of wake up being followed up by a beating. When he heard the words, he immediately curled in on himself and started crying. Draco didn't notice his friends reaction at first he was too excited about the day ahead. He suddenly noticed Harry hadn't joined in and glanced at his friend. He saw that he had scared Harry and promptly stopped jumping on the bed, he sat down and pulled Harry into a hug while whispering apologies.

Once Harry had stopped crying and finally sat up, Draco turned to him and said, "Come on, let's go downstairs, I am sure everyone is waiting for us, it is already 8 am."

Harry, for his part, had no idea what Draco meant, he had never celebrated Christmas before. He didn't expect to celebrate it this year either. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Draco dragged him into the family sitting room.

Harry peered around and saw a spectacular 6-foot tall pine tree, decorated with delicate green and silver trinkets and fairies hovered above the branches giving off the illusion of lights. A crystal star adorned the top of the tree, every bit of light that hit it reflected around the room. Under the tree was a pile of presents bigger than Harry had ever seen, even bigger than Dudley's piles. Harry stood transfixed, staring at the sight before him. He didn't move, even after Draco had sat down in front of the presents. Lucius and Severus shared a look which led Severus to walk over to Harry.

"Ry... Arry... Harry?" Harry heard his name being said and slowly pulled his eyes away from the sight in front of him. He saw Severus standing in front of him and locked eyes with him.

"Harry, are you okay?" Severus questioned wearily, "Are you going to sit with Draco and open your presents?"

"I have just never seen anything so beautiful," Harry explained with wide innocent eyes before he realised what else Severus had just said. "Wait. Did you say _my_ presents? Sir, I never have any presents."

Once again, the adults in the room shared a look. However, this time Draco also noticed the strangeness of that statement. He looked over at his friend who was wearing a confused look on his face. He stood, about to walk to his friend when he saw his father walk past him, and straight to Harry.

Lucius gathered Harry into his arms, gave him a quick squeeze and then pulled back enough to be able to look at the young man in his eyes. "Harry," he said, "this year you have got presents. Actually, if I have anything to say about it, you will have presents every year from now on."

"Hear! Hear!" Severus agreed, and a ghost of a smile graced his lips.

Harry wasn't so sure he should believe the men. Adults usually lie. _"They haven't lied to me yet, maybe I could try to trust them. For now..."_ he thought. He looked to his friend, he needed to see what Draco thought. The blond stared back at him, kindness, worry and acceptance shone in his eyes. Then he turned to Lucius and saw the same concern and compassion with a glimmer of protectiveness, in his eyes. Finally, Harry braved a look at Severus, and the fierceness of the stare astounded him, he could hardly decipher the range of emotions that were being shown to him. There was understanding, concern, and admiration at the forefront with other emotions warring in the background.

Harry was so moved that these people, who he had known for only a few months (Lucius even less) had taken him into their lives. They seemed to want him around them, he couldn't believe it. He didn't notice when Lucius manoeuvred him to a spot on the soft fur rug.

He was jolted out of his state when Draco dropped a gift on his lap. It was heavy, and when he looked down, he noticed it was beautifully wrapped, in an emerald green sparkly paper with a silver bow tied on top. Carefully he looked at the tag, it was a present from Lucius. He opened it to find a book on Dark Arts and how to defend against them. Draco had been opening his own gift in the meantime, also one from Lucius and a book. It was a book on Occlumency.

Draco then grabbed each of them one of the presents from Severus and passed Harry his. He ripped open his gift from his Godfather and found a Hungarian Horntail carved out of crystal, it had silver eyes and claws. He looked over to Harry and saw a stunning crystal snake with emerald eyes. In unison, the boys looked at Severus, jumped up and ran over to him. They hugged him tightly while loudly voicing their thanks.

Draco then passed Harry his gift from him. Harry looked like he had been slapped and tried to run out of the room. He was stopped by Severus who asked, "Harry, what's wrong now?"

Harry mumbled an answer that no one could hear. "Please speak up Little Snake," Severus coaxed.

"I didn't buy any of you guys presents! I had no idea that's what you were meant to do!" Harry cried out distraught.

The other three finally realised their mistake, in all their planning, they forgot Harry. They had each chosen a time where they would distract Harry so they could go shopping. But they hadn't thought that Harry might want to get them gifts as well.

Draco stepped forward to explain. Once he had and offered to take Harry shopping the next day, they both sat back down on the carpet, and Harry finally opened his present from Draco. It was a book with green velvet on the cover, he looked inside and found it blank. Confused, he looked at Draco who smiled softly and said, "It is a communication book, I have another one. If we are ever separated, and you need to talk to me, just write in this, and I will get in instantly."

Harry was awed, "thank you, Draco! I love it."

They continued in this for a while, each having multiple gifts from Severus and Lucius. Harry had never felt so cared for before, it was then he started to trust these men. Soon enough, they were finished with the day, and all sat down to a Christmas dinner. Its starter was smoked salmon with horseradish Creme Fraiche and beetroot. Next was the turkey, served with port and cranberry sauce. With a side of chunky roast potatoes, honey-roasted carrots, and Christmas spiced red cabbage. For dessert, they had a royal cherry trifle in crystal glasses.

Later that night, Harry lay in bed and thought about the Malfoys and Severus. They had come into his life and made it so much better. That night Harry fell asleep with a smile on his face and didn't wake up with a nightmare once. 


	13. Confrontations

One day, not long after Christmas Holidays, Harry and Draco walked together to the Library. They had just passed the great hall when their path was blocked. Stood in front of them was a boy their age, he had red hair, blue eyes and pale skin. He wore ragged robes and had a sneer on his face. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the baby death eater and the boy-who-lived-to-be-a-traitor," he hissed.

Harry was confused. _'Who is this boy? Why is he being so cruel? Wait! It's that boy from the train!'_ Draco however, knew immediately who the boy was. "Red hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley," he mocked, "leave us, your presence sullies the air we breathe."

The red-head was extremely angry. His face had turned scarlet. It looked like steam might shoot from his ears. "My name is Ronald!" he screamed, "I should be Harry Potter's best friend. Professor Dumbledore promised me that I would get access to his money and fame."

Ron then turned to Harry and shrieked, "YOU! You were meant to be in Gryffindor! You were meant to know nothing and have to rely on me! But NO! You had to go and ruin everything! What about Ginny? You are supposed to marry her. Instead, you are hanging around that Death Eater SCUM! Your parents would be disgusted by you."

The more Ronald spoke, the louder he became. The louder he became, the more people who came to watch the interaction. Soon the corridor was packed with students from every year in Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The Slytherins got angrier the more he blabbed, as did the loyal Hufflepuffs. The Ravenclaws looked intrigued. Finally, the Gryffindors, some looked embarrassed but most seemed to agree with the youngest Weasley boy.

Suddenly there was silence. Harry had started to lose control of his magic. Draco noticed first he felt calm and protected, even when Ronald insulted him and Harry. Then Ron noticed how cold it seemed. He felt scared. Quickly the corridor was filled with the Magic. Some felt like they were being suffocated. Others felt like they were completely safe.

"MR POTTER! What do you think you are doing?" demanded the voice of Albus Dumbledore.

As quick as Harrys' magic had consumed the hallway, it retreated back inside of him. He spun around to face the voice. "S-Sir, I-I did-didn't d-do an-anything. H-he start-started i-it," he replied, terrified he pointed at Ronald.

"You will follow me to my office right now Mr Potter, and we will discuss this there," demanded the headmaster.

The boys shared a look, and Draco whispered, "Go with him Ry, I will go tell Godfather, and we will meet you there."

Harry trusted his friend and agreed to go with the old man. When they arrived in Dumbledores' office, Harry noticed a magnificent bird with red and gold feathers and walked over the perch. He ran his fingers over the bird, who trilled with pleasure. "What a gorgeous animal. My name is Harry, what is yours?" he asked the creature.

"His name is Fawkes, and he is a phoenix," explained the old man.

Dumbledore was confused. The boy in his office was not what he had expected. See he had a plan, one that involved the young man before him. The child was supposed to be malleable, easy to manipulate and quick to trust him, the Great Albus Dumbledore. He was meant to be so abused by the Dursely's that he HAD to trust the headmaster. However, that is not what had happened. He had found his own way to platform 9 and 3/4 and didn't even notice Molly and the Weasley's. He had befriended the Malfoy boy, not Ronald or even that Mudblood, Granger. Despite the fact, Dumbledore spelled the Sorting Hat to place the child in Gryffindor, he was in Slytherin.

However, Fawkes had responded positively to the child. That is what confused the man the most. He would have to keep a close eye on Harry. _'Will he save the stone now that he is a Slytherin? Will he even bother to find out what is being hidden? How do I make him become the weapon I need him to be?'_ All these thoughts ran through his head while Harry continued to pet the phoenix.

Suddenly, the office door snapped open. Harry looked up to see Draco and Professor Snape stride purposefully into the room. "Severus, my boy! What are you doing here?" Dumbledore asked jovially.

"Well, S _ir_ , you requested one of my snakes in your office. The Hogwarts Charter states: 'a student must be accompanied by either their Head Teacher or a teacher of their choice.'"

The headmasters' eyes flashed with anger briefly before being replaced by his customary twinkle. "Ah, but Severus, I am sure young Harry is an exception to that rule. You don't need to waste your time on him," Dumbledore calmly explained.

"Oh, headmaster, I am not wasting my time, I am happy to be there for him," Severus replied, sending a small smile in Harry's direction.

Harry decided he had had enough of being spoken about and spoke up, "Headmaster Dumbledore, Sir. Why am I here?"

"Because of the fight, you instigated with Mr Weasely. Not to mention the magic you unleashed on most of the student body."

"Sir, I didn't start it. Draco and I were walking to the Library when Ronald stood in front of us and started to say really mean things," Harry attempted to explain.

"Be that as it may, you still used your magic against him and the other students. You could have seriously injured or even killed someone."

Harry paled, Draco looked at the headmaster with shock painted across his face, and Severus growled, actually growled. "Look here, old man, how dare you speak to him that way! If it wasn't for your little sycophant, this would never have happened. Harry has little control over his magic thanks to you leaving him with people who tried to 'beat the freakishness out of him'. Honestly, we are lucky he hasn't turned into an Obscurial. Come, boys, we are leaving now," Severus almost screamed at the man.

Harry and Draco stood and walked over to their professor. They followed him as he marched out of the office and down to the dungeons.


	14. Explanations

Harry followed his professor and best friend, still in thought about what the Headmaster had said. Soon the three arrived at Severus' quarters and walked into the sitting room. Each person was lost in their own thoughts. Draco was angry, the Weasel had insulted him and his family AND tried to take Harry away from him.

Severus was bewildered, Draco had told him what the Weasley boy said. Severus didn't understand what Dumbledore's game was, but it did seem like he ultimately wanted Harry to die. Severus would do anything, and everything in his power to ensure that this did NOT happen.

Harry didn't know how to feel. His emotions warred inside him. He was furious at Ronald Weasley, how dare he insult Draco! He was troubled by what the boy said about the headmaster and his plans. He felt guilty for letting his magic escape his control, and he felt grateful that he had Severus and the Malfoy's to support him.

The three sat in silence for half an hour, until Severus spoke up, "Harry."

Harry, who had been staring unblinkingly at the fire, raised his head and looked toward the man. "Sir?"

"I am proud of you, Little Snake," Severus softly stated.

"P-proud? But I lost control!" Harry started bawling.

Harry felt arms be wrapped around him, and when he took a peek, he saw Draco's blond hair in his vision.

"Oh Harry, of course, you lost control! How could you not? Weasel pushed you for that reason. I think he knew what would happen," Draco replied in a rush.

"What do you mean Dragon? Why do you think he knew," Severus questioned.

"I think the Headmaster placed him with those horrid Muggles for a reason. I think he wanted him to be beaten down, and easily pliable. I have no proof, of course. It's just a feeling," explained Draco.

Harry paled at those words. He couldn't understand why the Headmaster would be so cruel to him. However, Severus had jumped up and started to pace back and forth. He did this for a few minutes, while the boys looked between each other and their teacher. Suddenly, Severus whipped back around to face them.

"Alright boys, I am about to tell you something. What I tell you, I need you to keep it a secret if you can. Will you both promise?" Severus asked.

The two young boys shared a look, both turned back to face the man and said together "Yes Sir."

"Harry, you know you are the-boy-who-lived, the one who 'vanquished' the Dark Lord. What you don't know is why. In early 1980 I was a Death Eater for a sane Voldemort, a story I will tell you about later. But suffice to say I was tasked to become the potions professor here at Hogwarts, so I could spy on Dumbledore. My interview was being held in the Hogs Head Pub, and when I arrived, I found Dumbledore holding another meeting. Of course, I decided to hide and listen in. What I heard would change all of our lives forever..."

After a pause, Severus shook his head and continued, "it was a prophecy, I only heard the start before I was found by the owner of the pub, Aberforth Dumbledore. What I heard said ' _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...'_ Of course, I quickly told Voldemort what I heard. He began to make preparations to find who the prophesied child was. Soon enough, it was discovered that two women who had defied him three times were with child. They were Alice Longbottom and Lilly Potter. I don't know why he ultimately chose you, Harry. All I know is that when I found out your mum was being targeted, I begged for him to save her and you. However, something had changed him, he had lost his sanity. So I decided to turn the tables, I went to Dumbledore and told him what I had done, and urged him to protect your family.

"When Voldemort disappeared that Halloween night in 1981, I was shocked. I knew Lilly must have found an ancient spell, she always was clever. Most likely blood magic. I was relieved when I heard you had survived but devastated that Lilly had not made it. I again went to Dumbledore, to accuse him of not doing enough. He convinced me it was my fault in the first place. He made me take an unbreakable vow to protect you! I readily took the vow and have worked under him ever since. Well, until now.

"The reason I have told all this to you is that Dumbledore is convinced Voldemort will return. Honestly, so am I. This year Dumbledore has set a trap for the Dark Lord here at the school. He wants to catch him attempting to steal the Flamel's Philosopher's Stone. Well, that is what he told the school staff. I am starting to think it is actually a test for you. I don't know what the test is though..."

When he finished his story, Severus looked towards Harry and Draco. They both sat, and their mouths hung open, eyes wide. Not saying a word. Severus started to regret telling them so much, maybe they would turn away from him now. He wasn't a _good_ man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Bit of a cliffhanger there for you. Sorry, not sorry. I am starting to have problems knowing how to finish the first year, any ideas to help would be greatly appreciated. If anyone would like to contribute in any way please feel free to comment or message me.  
> Thank you for reading,  
> Your author,  
> ~SlySlytherin97 ❤💋


	15. Mind Made

It had been a week since the encounter with Ronald Weasley and Albus Dumbledore. It had been a week since Harry discovered there was a prophecy about him. After Severus had finished his story, the boys had left. Neither said a word to their professor since. Harry didn't know how to react, he was destined to die. Draco, on the other hand, was silently supporting his best friend, not wanting to upset the raven-haired boy any further. The boys walked into potions and walked into their last period for the day, potions. They sat at a desk with their fellow Slytherin's, Blaise Zabini and Theodore (Theo) Nott.

The two boys were pure-bloods and had grown up with Draco. Theo was the studious one, quiet but very observant. He had silky smooth, light brown hair and sparkly, bright blue eyes. Theo usually spoke in a soft tone, unless angry, nervous or restless. However, Blaise was loud and friendly, he caught the attention of students and teachers. He had dark brown hair, with clouded, brown eyes. He had acquaintances in all the houses, except Gryffindor, of course.

Over the previous week, Theo had noticed a subtle change. A change in the interactions between his friends and his Head of House. They had stopped talking in class unless it was about the potion Harry or Draco worked on. All eye contact was being avoided between them, Theo started to get annoyed. Turning to Blaise, he raised an eyebrow to see if the other boy had noticed any of this.

Blaise had started to notice, but only that morning at Breakfast when Harry complained about having to go to his favourite class, Potions. "What is going on between the three of them? If they don't cut it out soon, someone else is going to pick up on it. Someone like Dumbledore," he whispered into the blue-eyes boys' ear.

Theo shrugged at Blaise, "I have no idea, but I will be finding out. As soon as wizardly possible," he murmured in reply.

Separately, the boys decided to keep an eye on their friends. At least for the rest of the class and during dinner. After that, they would confront them and get to the bottom of their dilemma. Harry and Draco were oblivious to their classmates' thoughts as they each thought about the 'incident' last week.

Harry knew he wasn't angry at Severus he was glad the man told him the truth. However, he was scared- no, scratch that he was terrified. He had spent every spare minute he had in the last week, researching prophecies. Harry found there had been a multitude of Seers over the years. Who gave an abundance of predictions, most of which didn't get fulfilled. He also found that the nature of prophecies is dangerous, especially self-fulfilling prophecies. Harry figured that is what Voldermort had done their one, by choosing to go after him, he started the prophecy. The only way Harry could know for sure though is to listen to the whole thing himself. 'I will beat this,' he thought to himself.

Draco's thoughts were focused around the previous war and his misconceptions of it. As well as Harry and the threat of the Dark Lord returning. His mother had always told him about this all-powerful man, someone who was going to save the Wizarding World. She had been convinced he was the only person who could protect pure-blood families. Draco had been young and impressionable, and he had believed her. He dismissed his fathers' speeches about a boy named Harry Potter, known for defeating said Dark Lord. When he had met his new best friend, he was shocked by the boy he found. He was meek and hadn't known about the Wizarding World.

Draco was glad that Harry had introduced himself before he had an opportunity to talk. He was scared of how he might have reacted if Harry had not. He knew now, he would always stand beside Harry, no matter what. As he shook the thoughts from his head, he realised he had been daydreaming the whole lesson, and everyone was packing up their stations. Draco was surprised to discover his and Harry's draught seemed to be perfect. He also saw Harry was still not thinking straight. He packed up their materials and dragged his friend outside to the courtyard.

The blond and the brunette found a shady tree and laid down side by side. Harry closed his eyes and drifted off into a slight slumber. Draco heard a soft snore from next to him, gave a small smile and shut his eyes before he too fell asleep. They had not noticed their fellow Slytherins' following them at a distance and or when they settled in to wait and watch.

Severus Snape was getting worried. His two snakes had left him without a word after he had bared his soul to them. He didn't know what either of them felt about the situation, or him. The last person he had opened up to was Lilly, and he ruined that friendship. Severus was beyond angry at his so-called mentor. He had thought Albus Dumbledore was protecting the Potters', but the more he thought about it, the more he realised, that was never the case. 'No matter what they think of me, I will always protect those boys,' he decided. Severus sat at the end of the head table in the Great Hall, waiting for the students, teachers and food to arrive. He was so caught up worrying about Harry and Draco, he didn't notice when other people started to show up.

Suddenly, he heard his co-worker's Scottish brogue from beside him, "You okay there Severus? You haven't been your usual, snarky sense this past week."

Snapped out of his thoughts, Severus turned to his friend, and hissed, "I am fine Minerva, mind your own damn business."

Severus saw shock and hurt flash through the woman's' eyes and immediately regretted his actions. Before he could apologise, Minerva had turned her back on him and started a conversation with Filius Flitwick, the Charms professor and Head of Ravenclaw. Severus lifted his eyes and scanned the Slytherin table for Harry and Draco. He spotted them about halfway down, sitting with a bunch of first-year Slytherins. Harry was looking at him, but when he noticed the professors eyes on him, he quickly turned away. Draco was piling food onto both of their plates, ensuring his best friend ate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I would like to say a big thank you to @mandancie from fanfiction.net who helped me to add new characters, and is helping me to finish the end of year one.  
> Thank you for reading,  
> Your author,  
> ~SlySlytherin97 ❤💋


	16. Memoriam Amicitiae

Later that night Harry sat in the Slytherin Common Room, in a regal, emerald green wing chair, with silver trim. To a passerby, he appeared to be entranced in the book on his lap. However, it was not the book on magical fungi that had him so deep in thought. Instead, he was thinking of his time in the Wizarding World. In particular, the friendships he had made.

_***START FLASHBACK*** _

_I watch as the giant decides to leave me on my own, I shake my head._ 'Great, left on my own. Again.' _I walk into the shop and am immediately ambushed by, who I assume to be, the shop clerk._

_"Hogwarts first year, my dear?" the lady says before quickly continuing with, "oh of course you are, why else would you be standing in here."_

_Shocked by her rushed words and passionate nature, I nod my head to answer her initial question. She grabs my wrist and drags me toward a raised platform. Quickly I realise her intentions and ready myself for the step. I nimbly land atop the platform as we reach it. Out of the corner of my left eye, I see a flash of blond and turn my head toward it. A boy is standing on an identical platform to mine. He has a pointy face and what looked to be new clothes on._ 'Clearly, he is rich,' _I think to myself. Finally, he notices me and turns my way. "Hi, my name is Harry Potter, I just found out I am a wizard. Who are you?" I ask, in my most polite tone of voice. "Are you a first-year like I am?"_

_The boy looks at me strangely, like he can't believe what I told him. I see the confusion swirling around in his grey eyes. He introduces himself, explaining how his dad is going to buy him a broom and how he would be in Slytherin, the greatest of all houses. I tell him that I don't understand what he means by any of that. The uncertainty in his eyes from earlier returns. If only briefly. He then tells me everything he can about both Hogwarts Houses' and Quidditch before he ran out of breath._

_***END FLASHBACK*** _

Harry thinks back to that first meeting, and a small smile graces his lips. When Lucius had appeared, Draco quickly said goodbye and ran to his father...

_***START FLASHBACK** _

_I couldn't hear what was said but knew the boy, Draco, was not saying anything mean about me. Before the Malfoys' left Madam Malkins, Draco called out to me, "I will owl you!" This made me worry as he knew if my Aunt or Uncle saw another owl, they were liable to either kill it or me. I knew I had to find somewhere else to stay for the Summer. I waited around for another half an hour or so for Hagrid to come back for me. He didn't. I looked at my list and noticed I was only missing two items, a wand and a familiar. I went for the wand first, asking the shop clerk who had made my uniforms to point me in the right direction. I found it quickly and was promptly walked inside._

_***END FLASHBACK*** _

Harry remembered the pet shop owner telling him to ask Tom at the Leaky Cauldron for a room to stay. So that is what he did. Tom was happy to help and even promised to help keep everyone away from Harry. Later that evening, Harry heard a _tap-tap_ on his window and found an eagle owl hovered outside. Harry opened the window, the owl flew in and dropped the letter on the bed, perched in the headboard.

The boy grabbed the envelope and ripped it open. In the note from Draco, it explained that his owl, Julius, would wait for a response. He asked that Harry feed him a small amount of meat and give the avian water. The boys shared many letters throughout that Summer, slowly revealing more about their lives and their ambitions for the future. Neither Harry nor Draco wanted to admit weakness to their new friend, so both pretended like their lives were much better than they really were. Harry thought back to when he saw the Malfoy men waiting for him at King's Cross Station as Draco had promised him.

_***START FLASHBACK*** _

_I watched as my uncle sped off, trying to flee me as quick as his fat body would take him. Taking a deep breath, I turn toward the large building, made of brick and glass. I am praying that Draco is waiting for me inside. When he wrote to me, he said he would. '_ I hope that I can trust him,' _I think to myself. I read my ticket '_ Platform 9 ¾' _it reads. I shake my head, '_ this sounds preposterous.'

_I groan and walk the way I know platforms' nine and ten are situated. I quickly make my way through the masses and promptly see the sign for platform nine. Taking a swift look at my watch, I notice it is five past ten in the morning. Fifty-five minutes until the train is due to leave. Searching the train station for any sign of Draco, suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder, I jump and spin around._

_Standing there is Draco, looking at me with a raised eyebrow and his lips quirked into a smirk. "May I introduce you to my father, the esteemed Lucius Malfoy," the blond hair boy introduced with an air of grace. "Father, this is my frien- best friend, Harry Potter."_

_"Pleasure to meet you, Mister Malfoy," I bow low to the Malfoy patriarch, relieved I had read the book I bought on Wizarding customs and traditions. Glancing at the elder Malfoy, I find him looking at me with a small frown which makes me feel nervous. I look at Draco, who is starting to look apprehensive as well, and whisper, "Di- did I do something wrong?"_

_Before Draco has a chance to reply, his father says, "Draco has not shut up about you since the day you met, it is wonderful to meet you too."_

_Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Draco starting to go red in the face, and I try to find a way to change the subject. Seeing a clock on the wall showing the time to be ten thirty-five. "Um, Mister Malfoy? How do we get to platform 9 3/4?" I ask the man._

_The man seems surprised but replies, "Ah, of course, you don't know. Well, see the brick pillar between the signs for the platforms?" At my nod, he continues, "One at a time, each person will direct their cart at the wall and then walk confidently through it. Do not worry, you will not crash."_

_I must look confused because he chuckles slightly and says, "Magic."_

_***END FLASHBACK*** _

Thus began the friendship between the blond, and raven-haired boys. Harry felt grateful to have met such an amazing friend so fast in the Wizarding World. Making friends was something that he had always struggled with, admittedly because of his cousins' interference.


	17. Qui Mortem Meam Commemorationem

While Harry was sitting in the common-room thinking about his friendship with Draco, Severus was seated at his desk. He was thinking about the green-eyed boy, who reminded him so much of his old friend. He couldn't believe how much that child had changed his life, already. It scared him. Severus had been hurt so much in his life already. From his abusive, drunkard father and neglectful mother, to the marauders bullying, to losing Lily and taking the Dark Mark, to Lily dying. Before he could stop it, a memory popped into the forefront of his mindscape.

**_*START FLASHBACK*_ **

_I am nine years old, and I have just made a MASSIVE mistake. My mother is out today, doing... something. She hadn't told me what, only that she was going. And to be on my best behaviour for my father. I have been trying all day to be good, I cooked him breakfast, I mowed the front lawn, and I sat in my room reading, so I didn't disturb him. But I got bored... So, I decide to do something about it._

_I go to my wardrobe and open the false bottom. Carefully I draw out the antique pewter cauldron,_ 'Magical Draughts and Potions' _and the few simple ingredients mother had bought for me. I decide to brew a forgetfulness potion. It starts great! However, as I complete step four, I stir the draft three times anti-clockwise. The wrong way! Before I can react, the potion explodes with a_ ** _"_** **BANG!"** _Luckily, the liquid misses me by an inch._

_Next thing I know my father is standing over me. Cigarette hanging from his mouth and reeking of bourbon. 'Oh no!' He grabs me by the collar of my shirt and hauls me to my feet._ **"THUD!"** _I am thrown across the room and into my bedroom wall._

_I look at him and then at my door. Deciding quickly, I pull myself up off the floor and run as fast as I can out of my bedroom, slip through the lounge room, and am out the front door like a shadow. I run as quickly as I can towards the end of the road, where a small and quiet park is situated._

_Squeezing my way through the brambles that lined the edge, I find myself with a tall English Elm blocking my view. Slowly, I peek around the corner and see two girls swinging on the swingset. One is tall and thin, she has a horse-like face, dirty blond hair and stands with an air of superiority. The other girl has fiery red hair, and unlike her sister, seems to have a friendly aura around her. I want to go over and talk to them, maybe I can finally make a friend. But I am too afraid and can't get my breath under control, instead I lay myself down underneath the Elm and close my eyes._

_Just as I am on the brink of sleep, I hear a quiet giggle. Opening one eye, I see the red-haired girl standing above me, a small smile on her face._

_"Hi, my name is Lily Evans and this is my sister Petunia. Or as I like to call her 'Tuney. We live around the corner, with our mum and dad, Daisy and Mark. Mum is a housewife and dad works as an accountant. What is your name?" The girl, Lily rambles, until she hears her sister clear her throat slightly._

_Slightly shocked that these two have approached an obvious freak like me, it takes me a moment to form words and reply, "H-hi I am Severus, Severus Snape."_

**_*END FLASHBACK*_ **

Slowly the potions master shook his head to rid himself of that memory and wiped away the tear from his eye. It had been one of the worst and then happiest days of his life. However, before he could stop it, another memory pulled itself to the surface.

**_*START FLASHBACK*_ **

_I had just turned eleven at the start of the month, and now it was Lily's turn. I knew that she was a witch after seeing her using her accidental magic to stop her from falling when she flew out of a swing one day not long after we had met._

_Lily will be receiving her Hogwarts letter soon, just as I had on my birthday. Looking at my clock, I realise it is only 6:30 am, I had gotten up earlier than I expected. Deciding I don't want to wait around for my father to wake up, I quickly grab my potions book, l leave my room, and walk out of the house._

_I make my way to the park and sit under the Elm tree. Making myself comfortable, I open my book and start to re-read it to pass the time. Over the next two hours, I shift my position multiple times to ensure I stay under the shade of the tree._

_I am so absorbed in my book that I don't hear Lilys' steps as she enters the park and makes her way over to me. Instead, I feel a slight tap on my shoulder, making me jump a foot in the air and pull myself into a defensive position. Quickly I realise that it is only Lily, and not someone there to harm me. I pull her into a fierce hug and ask, "Did it come?!"_

_She beams brilliantly and loudly announces, "Yes! I am really a witch! Oh, thank you, Sev! If it wasn't for you, I would never have believed it."_

_Before I have a chance to reply, she reaches up and kisses me on the cheek._

**_*END FLASHBACK*_ **

Unbridled, another memory surfaced, his mental defences were slowly being demolished by the pain he felt when re-living them.

**_*START FLASHBACK*_ **

_I am sixteen now, in my sixth year of schooling at Hogwarts. Somehow Lily and I have retained our friendship, despite being sorted into rival houses. Well... we had until today._

_I f**k up and call her a mud-blood, not that I thin of her that way. I am just embarrassed. I apologise immediately and try to take it back, but I know she will never accept it. I see the betrayal flash across her eyes, and I see the steely resolve they hold as she turns her back on me and walks away with_ **_him_ ** _._

_I don't know what to do anymore, I have no one. My mum died while I was in my second year of schooling. The ministry said it was an accident, a potion blew up while she tested alternate ingredients. I know the truth. Potions were the only part of the magical world she had kept when marrying my muggle father. She knew what ingredients would cause what reaction. She had done this on purpose. She had left me with the burden of my father._

_Just as I start thinking back to the day I was told, I hear the smooth, baritone voice of Lucius Malfoy say, "Snape, follow me. There is someone interested in meeting you."_

**_*END FLASHBACK*_ **

That was the beginning of the end. He had been taken by Lucius, the then Malfoy heir, to meet the Dark Lord that night. Two days later he had taken the Dark Mark. Severus, thinking of the day he took the Mark, provoked yet another memory forward.

**_*START FLASHBACK*_ **

_I am now twenty, and just a few months ago, I had overheard a prophecy. I then delivered the prediction to my then master, which led him to discover who the child destined to defeat him would be._

_I have just left a Death Eater meeting where the Dark Lord tells us who he believes the child may belong to. The first couple I know, but only as acquaintances, Frank Longbottom had been in the year above me, and a Gryffindor. His wife, Alice Longbottom was also the year above me but a Ravenclaw._

_It is the name of the second couple which chills my blood to the bone. James Potter, the ringleader of his tormentors, and his wife Lily Potter nee Evans. I haven't spoken to Lily since that horrible day in our sixth year. I know I need to do anything in my power to protect her, so I apparate myself to Hogsmeade Village and walk to the Hogwarts' gates._

**_*END FLASHBACK*_ **

With his mental defences now in tatters, Severus could not stop the memories if he tired.

**_*START FLASHBACK*_ **

_It is October 31st 1981, Halloween. I am sitting by the fire in my quarters in the dungeons of Hogwarts. Suddenly I feel excruciating pain in my left forearm, quicking rolling my sleeve back I notice the Mark is starting to fade. I know the Dark Lord has made his move against the Potters', and by the looks of it failed._

_My heart filled with hope, I apparate to Godrics' Hollow, remembering Dumbledore mentioning it. As I land, I smell fresh smoke, making my eyes water and my heart constrict. I look around and run to where I can see smoke emanating from, terrified. As I reach the house, I notice that a section of the roof seems to have been blown apart. I take a deep breath and start forward._

_Gently, I push on the door, and it swings open with a loud_ **CREAK!** _Stepping inside, I see the James Potter at the bottom of the stairs, his wand loosely held in his grip. I reach down and feel for his pulse. Finding none, I scramble past his body and up the stairs._

_As I arrive on the top landing, I see three doors. Two are closed, and the last one seems like it is only being held on by the bottom hinge. Rushing forward into the open room, I fall to my knees at the sight before me. Lily lies, a fierce expression etched into her face. I pull her into my arms and cry out all the love and regret I have ever felt for her._

_I hear a soft whimper and look around the room. Finally, my eyes lock on the crib just behind Lily. I see a small infant, looking at me with bright green eyes._

_"Ma-ma?" the child asks me when we lock eyes._

_I stand up, gently pull the boy from his crib and hold him against my chest. Soon he falls asleep, and just in the nick of time. As I lay him back on the bed, I hear the booming voice of Sirius Black finding his best friend, James and start howling. I cast a light silencing charm, to stop the mutt from waking the sleeping child._

_I place a light kiss on the child's forehead (where a new lightning bolt shaped wound is rising). I whisper to him, "I promise that from now on I will do everything I can to keep you safe and make sure you are happy."_

_Taking one last look at the broken body, now dead, of my long-lost best friend, I cast both the_ _disillusionment_ _and_ _silencing_ _charm upon myself, and slide past Black on my way down the stairs._

**_*END FLASHBACK*_ **

Severus had had enough, he refused to re-live anymore of these memories. He summoned a sleeping draft and promptly swallowed it. The man made it to his bed, just, before he passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hello my darling readers. I hope you have enjoyed the trips down memory lane. I will be going back to the actual storyline in the next chapter. This chapter has by far been my longest, please do not expect them all to be this long from now on. Having said that, I would like to share that I wrote 1,900 words (not including the authors' note)!! I am so proud of myself and I hope some of you are too.😀
> 
> Thank you for reading,  
> Your author,  
> ~SlySlytherin97 ❤💋
> 
> P.s. I hope all of you are staying safe during these crazy and scary times of Coronavirus. If any of you ever need someone to talk to, or even just someone to listen to you rant. Please message me at anytime and I will reply as quickly as I can.
> 
> P.p.s. I would like everyone to comment where in the world you are from... Maybe, just maybe we can support each other through these trying times. Laughter is the best medicine after all!


	18. A Potion "Accident"

It was Monday, and Harry was walking with Draco from herbology to transfiguration when he heard the sound of someone whispering. Harry held one hand in front of the blond, effectively halting him in his tracks, the other hand placed over Draco's mouth. It was Ronald _Weasley,_ a voice Harry would know anywhere.

"... telling you, Dean! It's Snape, who else would be after the philosopher's stone?"

Draco and Harry heard Dean ask, "honestly Ron, how do you know what the dog was guarding?"

"Because that's what Dumbledore told me! Don't you ever listen? The old man came to my house during the Summer and gave me a mission. I was to make Harry my best friend, getting him to choose Gryffindor and keeping everyone else away from him. Then, I was supposed to give him small clues throughout the year about the stone. Apparently, it is supposed to be some sort of test for him..." the Weasel rabbited on.

Carefully and silently, the blond and brunette turned to each other, matching looks of horror pasted across their faces. They quickly made their way to the transfiguration classroom and took their seats. Harry spent the lesson trying to take notes and failing miserably because he was too distracted.

By the time they had made their way to potions class, their last class of the day, Harry was a mess. He could hardly breathe, let alone think. Draco decided to situate them in the back of the classroom, away from prying eyes. This worked on everyone... Until Severus Snape swept into the room.

During the lesson, Severus kept his eyes on Harry as much as he could, that is until he noticed this seemed to be making Harry more upset and decided to ignore him for the remainder of the period. He swept over to the Gryffindor side of the room and started to criticise their potions. However, five minutes into this, while he was berating Neville Longbottom for almost blowing up his cauldron, he heard Draco scream out Harry's name.

Severus spun around to face the Slytherin side of the room, what he saw made his heart shatter. There lying on the floor was the boy-who-lived, covered in boiling hot, black sludge.

"Everybody except mister Malfoy, OUT!"

The students, both Slytherin and Gryffindor alike scrambled out the door. Draco stood with his eyes on the ground, knowing if he looked into the professor's eyes, he would see disappointment or worse, hatred.

"WHAT IN SEVEN HELLS JUST HAPPENED?" Severus screamed before taking a deep breath to calm himself, and continuing in a softer voice, "I am sorry for yelling at you Dragon, but I need to know what occurred. Otherwise, I won't be able to counteract the effects."

Draco sniffled and explained that he saw a Gryffindor girl toss something, he wasn't sure what, into Harry's cauldron. He didn't know her name but promised to point her out to his godfather at the next available opportunity.

Severus chose to withdraw the questioning, for now, to deal with the real problem at hand. Quickly he scooped the raven-haired boy off the floor, careful not to get the black concoction on himself. The man ordered Draco to open the door for him and follow them to his quarters. They hurried further into the dungeons and without prompting, Draco flung open the doors leading to the sitting room.

"What do we do, Godfather? What do we do?" the young boy asked frantically.

"You are going to sit there with your mouth clamped shut unless I ask something if you. Do you understand me?" snapped the worried man. He was pacing back and forth thinking of a way to fix this, without involving the school matron or headmaster.

Severus did not wait for a reply before he turned his back on the blond and set to work on Harry. First, he gently removed the boys' outer robe. When it was shown to have soaked through those clothes, he began to remove those as well. This left the young man in his boxer-briefs.

Blushing slightly, the older man called out for his personal Hogwarts-elf, Stippy, and asked them to bring him a bowl of clean, warm water and a soft washcloth. Once the elf had brought back the requested materials, Severus tried to wash the black goop off Harry, hoping this would null the effects and wake the boy up.

However, when the man finished cleaning the boy down, Harry still did not awaken. Thinking quickly, he opened his potion supply closet and grabbed a bezoar out and spelled it into Harry's stomach. Again, nothing happened. Severus realised this was a bigger problem then he initially thought, he needed real help. He jumped up, through a pinch of Floo powder into the fireplace and called out, "Poppy Pomfrey, Hogwarts infirmary."

Severus explained the situation to the healer and asked her to come through. She quickly complied and immediately started to cast diagnostic spells on the injured boy. Severus looked toward Draco who was sitting on as far away from Harry as he could and noticed the boy was silently crying. Carefully he walked over to his godson and sat on the chair next to him.

"Dragon, I am so sorry for yelling at you. It was not your fault at all, and I don't want you blaming yourself. Neither would Harry want you to," the potions master quietly told the young blond child.

"But it was my fault! I should have been quicker, I should have jumped in the way, I should ha-"

Severus had heard enough and quickly pulled his godson into a hug, effectively shutting him up. How long they stayed that way the man did not know, he just held his godson while the boy cried his eyes out.

Eventually, he looked up, towards the raven-haired boy and locked eyes with the matron. In those eyes, he noticed a range of emotions. Severus observed the pity Poppy felt for the adolescent boys in their care, he saw the worry she held for Harry's health, he saw the anger she felt that one student hurt another like this, and he saw the pride she held for himself.

"What's the prognosis Madam Doc?" Severus asked, trying to lighten the mood somewhat.

"It's not good Severus, I can't even tell you exactly what is wrong. He seems to be perfectly healthy, but I cannot get him to wake up, no matter what I try. We may just have to wait and see how long it takes for him to wake on his own."

Severus was shocked but had to ask, "does he have to stay in the hospital wing or can we keep him in the guest bedroom here? I wouldn't trust some of the older Slytherin's enough to leave him there while this vulnerable."

"I don't see why he can't stay here. I have access, and you can call me if the situation changes. The only problem I can foresee is the headmaster."

This caused Draco to finally pull away from his godfather and question, "Excuse me, Madam, but why would the headmaster be a problem?"

Poppy was shocked at the young Malfoy's manners but swiftly replied, "well mister Malfoy, it is difficult to explain, but I have known the headmaster for a long time. In that time, I have observed how he treats certain children. Harry Potter is a hero to **everybody** in our world, something only Albus Dumbledore could claim before Halloween 10 years ago. He ignored the advice of everyone around him and sent the poor lad to those horrible people.

"In my opinion, he did this so that he could be the person Harry would come to depend on in the future. I don't want this to happen, and I don't think either of you does either. I am glad he has found two people who truly care about his wellbeing. He will need it in order to face the people who are out to see him hurt. Now, the reason I worry about Albus is that I know he won't agree to have Severus house the boy. It would interrupt his master plan. We need to think of a plan, as soon as possible."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 1372
> 
> My dear readers!   
> What a pleasure to see you here again, thank you for sticking with this story. I just want to say, I have only a bit of an idea of where I want this to end up but don't have every little detail set out on where I want to take it in the meantime. I do not write up chapters in advance of publishing them,.I write what I feel when I feel it. Having said this, if anyone has any idea of where to take the smaller parts of the plot, please let me know. otherwise, I fear this story may become too convoluted and I may lose some of you as readers. I DO NOT WANT THAT!! It warms my heart to see people enjoying themselves with my story, I never expected it to get this far. 
> 
> Thank you for reading,  
> Your author,  
> ~SlySlytherin97 ❤💋


	19. Plans, Plans, Plans

Later that same Monday evening there were three separate meetings taking place, all of them making plans. The first meeting consisted of Severus Snape, Poppy Pomfrey and Draco Malfoy, in the potion master's quarters, where they planned how to hide Harry Potter from Albus Dumbledore. The second was taking place in the Gryffindor first-year boys dorm where Ronald Weasely and Dean Thomas planned to oust their potion master as the evil Slytherin he was. The last meeting was in the office of Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore where he was planning how to get Harry under his control, with Molly Weasley and Minerva McGonagall.

Severus's Personal Quarters:

After Severus and Poppy had moved Harry onto the bed in the guest room, they went to the sitting room, where the Malfoy heir was waiting for them patiently. Well, he thought he was being patient. In reality, he was pacing the carpet, clothes were ruffled, and hair was standing on end from where he had been pulling at it.

Seeing the boy who usually took such pride in his appearance, looking the way he did at that moment, sent Severus over the edge. He started laughing, first with a giggle and soon turning absolutely hysterical. Worried the matron summoned a _calming draught_ and shoved it into the man's hands, ordering him to 'drink up.'

One he was once again under control, Severus flicked his wand at his Godson, who quickly began to look like himself once more.

"Thank you, Godfather, I am just so worried about him!"

"I know you are Dragon, as am I. He will recover, he has the best healer in the country looking after him," Severus replied, sending a wink at Poppy before carrying-on, "we have bigger problems at hand I am afraid. We have to keep Harry here without letting the Old Coot know. This will be hard. We can't just pretend he has a cold, because everyone will expect him to be better in a few days."

Poppy, quickly interrupted, "Similarly we cannot say he has something life-threatening or the Headmaster WILL insist on seeing the boy."

This caused Draco to exclaim, "We also can't let that Gryffindor bint get away with not only sabotaging his potion but almost killing him!"

"Okay, one thing at a time, Dragon, do you think now that you have calmed down, you could describe the girl in question?" The potion mater queried.

Draco nodded his head and replied, "she has straight, chestnut brown hair and azure blue eyes. Her skin is almost but not quite as pale as my own. She is usually quiet, especially for a Gryffindor, and seems to be quite average in each class we share. Hence why I don't know her name, she is just... plain."

Severus sat there quietly as he tried to discover which of his first year Gryffindors it could have been. Not the Granger girl, her hair is light brown and a wild bush. Nor the Patil twin, as she has the dark skin of her Indian heritage. It couldn't be Brown, she was the most boisterous of the group. Which only left one possible suspect, Fay Dunbar.

"I believe we are dealing with miss Faye Dunbar being the culprit. I honestly don't know much about here. I did go to school with her parents, but they were five years my senior," the potion master admitted.

"You and I both Severus, know that Albus will never persecute a Gryffindor, no matter what they do. We will need to deliver our own punishment. However, I believe Harry may want to be included in those plans once he awakens. I believe that we need to move onto the next matter at hand, how to hide Harry," Poppy declared softly.

Both Severus and Draco agreed they should wait for Harry to make any plans for retribution. All three people sat around the firepit, each attempting to figure a way of hiding Harry from the manipulations of the schools' headmaster.

"Eureka! I Have it!" the matron cried out, "You know the metamorphmagus Hufflepuff Severus? Miss Tonks? Andromeda's daughter, well she received her NEWTS for the core subjects last year and is now only studying elective courses. Therefore, she has plenty of spare time. She wants to be an Auror, and I am sure I could persuade her that pretending to be mister Potter would be wonderful 'training.'"

"That is a fine plan Poppy! Do you really believe she will agree to it? if so, we can give her a mild sedation potion at the times when he comes to check on the boy!" Severus agreed.

"I agree, if she accepts the job, this might just work like we wanted," Draco voiced his agreement.

Gryffindor Boys' Dorm:

The boys sat alone in the dorm, both on the red-heads bed. In front of them was a chocolate frog card with a picture of Albus Dumbledore on one side.

"... See! If **we** save the stone from the greasy bat, then **we** will be hailed heroes and the-bastard-who-lived will be the one left in the shadows and shunned by his housemates," the freckle-faced, red-head rambled on animatedly.

The other boy, who would eventually grow up to be the personification of 'tall, dark and handsome,' sighed resigned. He may be a half-blood and a Gryffindor, but that didn't mean he had all the prejudice Ronald Weasely had.

You see, Dean Thomas was the son of a magical father and a non-magical mother. His father also left before telling his wife about his secret life, or the possibility of his son sharing that same life. He had only found out about the wizarding world when Professor Flitwick showed up on his doorstep.

Although the potion professor scared the wits out of Dean, he didn't believe that the man was evil. However, Ronald had been his first friend in this world. He also knew everything about it, having grown up with magic all around him. Dean needed Ronald to be able to survive this world.

Therefore instead of voicing his doubts, Dean replied with a half-hearted, "you're right Ron! Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

"Well, you are a lot more into reading than I am so I thought that maybe you could do the research. I heard that stupid fog horn Granger talking say she read about Nicholas Flamel, you should try and borrow it from her, or even better have her read it and then give us her notes."

Quietly sighing, the dark-haired boy slowly nodded his head in agreement and watched as his 'friends' face lit up like a lightbulb. He knew it was wrong but seeing Ron so happy made Deans' heart feel one hundred times lighter than it had at the beginning of the conversation.

Headmaster's Office:

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, waiting for his advisor to come through the door to help him make a plan. A plan to bring one Harry James Potter under his 'wing.'

While he waited, he pulled out everything he may need during the conversation. A journal, detailing all their previous plans, both ones that worked and ones that failed. Five metal instruments that either moved or made noises every few seconds. The sorting hat, and the elder wand. Just as he placed the last item atop his desk, his office door clicked open and in stepped Minerva McGonagall.

"Ah Minnie, my dear. Lemon drop?"

"No, thank you Albus and I have asked you for the last thirty-five years to stop calling me that," the woman replied in an exasperated Scottish brogue, "let's just get down to business."

"Fine, let's start back at the sorting. How did the boy end up placed in Slytherin? Hat, can you enlighten us please."

"You know I cannot Dumbledoink, the founders ensured I would keep the secrets of the students' I have sorted. All I can say is the same thing I told the Potter boy just before I called out his placement. He will do well in Slytherin," the musty old hat replied in a gruff, aggravated voice.

This angered the headmaster. So he threw the hat as hard as he could, out the window. However, just as it disappeared out of sight, there was a bright flash from the other side of the room. Fawkes, the phoenix had flamed from his perch. Soon there was another flash. Fawkes was above the bookcase, gently setting the ancient artifact back down.

"What about Severus? He hates anything Potter, maybe he could convince the little heathen to swap houses, " Minerva suggested.

"Good idea, my dear, I will call him up after we finish this talk. Now, how has the boy been performing in your class?"

"That's my problem! He is perfect. If I ask a question, he won't raise his hand. However, if I directly ask him, he will get it right every time. He shouldn't know the answer, not even that chit Granger knows the answers! Are you sure he was muggle-raised Albus? Filius and Pomona have made similar assertions as to his knowledge."

This news concerned the aging man, deeply. Harry Potter had grown up with Lily's sister Petunia. The one person guaranteed to purposefully be spiteful towards the boy and not tell him anything about his heritage. _'Perhaps it is time for me to take a small trip to Surrey,'_ he thought to himself before dismissing Minerva and writing his new plans into the journal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 15726


	20. Visits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers!! Sorry I have taken so long to get this chapter out. I have just been down lately and haven't had the inspiration to write. I would like to thank you all for all the support you have given to me and I would especially like to give a shout out to Nowheretobefound01 who encouraged me to keep writing this! Also, I have kind of changed the style in which I am writing this but hopefully, it will make it more enjoyable for everyone. Please let me know what you think of the new format. Now onto the long-awaited chapter...

It had been two days since the ' _Incident",_ as they had begun to call it, had occurred. Harry was still fast asleep. During those two days, Severus, Poppy and Draco had been taking turns to watch over the young raven-haired boy. At times it seemed like he might wake up, he would make a small whimper or turn over. Once his eyes had even fluttered open briefly while Severus had been gently stroking his hair and talking about his childhood with Lily. However, he stayed stubbornly asleep, much to the trio's despair.

They knew that all three of them could not stay with him twenty-four seven. Instead, they decided that Draco would care for him during breakfast, lunch and times he would not be noticed missing and Severus would care for him between teaching classes, no one ever checked on the _dungeon bat._ This also meant Severus had fewer classes than all of the other teachers', thanks to his students being too scared of him to continue. Poppy was there in the times when Severus and Draco's timetables clashed, and of course when she was due to give the boy a check-up.

On Wednesday, two days after the _Incident,_ Severus was in the potions classroom, teaching a class of second-year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. The class was going smoothly, no explosions, which was normal for this group. Suddenly Severus felt a light tap on his shoulder, and he saw a handless glove floating mid-air, pointing to some parchment on his desk. Knowing the old man's signature beckon, he made his way slowly through the halls with purposeful strides, to the gargoyle statues that guard the headmasters' office. He spat out 'pumpkin pastie' and climbed the spiral staircase.

"You summoned me, Albus?" Severus said as he walked into the room.

"Ah yes, Severus, punctual as always I see. Lemon drop?"

"No, thank you, sir," the potion master replied with a small sneer, "what is this about headmaster?"

"My dear boy, what can you tell me about young Harry? I haven't seen him in a few days, and I am starting to get concerned."

_'Here we go...'_ Severus thought to himself before he started, "Well sir, on Monday there was an accident in the potion classroom, Potter was unfortunately hit with the mixture. The potion reacted in a way that would not affect most young wizards, as normally it seems to simulate a wizard flu. However, he has never had any of his immunity potions for wizarding diseases."

"How long will this affect the boy?" _'There goes my plan to get him resorted. It will just have to wait until the brat gets over whatever illness is affecting him.'_

"Neither Poppy or I could determine that right now. She has decided it would be best if he is kept isolated in the hospital wing," the professor replied while ensuring his mental barriers were well in place, "was that everything, sir?"

"In a rush, my boy?" the headmaster asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, headmaster. I have a potion simmering in my lab that needs to be taken off the flame shortly. Otherwise, the consequences would be dire," Severus replied in a bored tone.

"Ah, I see. I will let you go, but there is one more thing. I will be leaving the castle for at least a few hours, maybe even a day. Please ensure you help Minerva run the school in any way she may need."

"Of course headmaster, may I ask where you are going?" the raven-haired man questioned.

"I am going to visit the boy's loving family, it has been a while, and I miss bantering with his Aunt."

Severus refrained from giving a snort and a sneer and instead gave a small, "good luck," stroking Fawkes one last time and walking out of the office.

When the man finally reached his rooms, he breathed out a huge gust of wind and fell on one of his couches in a slump.

"What happened Godfather?" Draco, who was watching over Harry at the time, asked impatiently.

Severus sighed again and explained what had transpired in the old goats' office.

No.4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey:

It was dusk when Albus Dumbledore suddenly at the end of the street. Everyone noticed him, the eccentric man looked out of place in his cherry pink robes with lime green stars. Children who had been playing stopped to look at him and giggle. As did the women pruning their gardens and talking over the fence to one another.

He walked purposefully toward the house where he had placed a young boy all those years ago. He rapped the door knocker three times and stood back to wait. After two minutes, he heard a quiet _**click**_ from the other side of the door.

A blond, horse-faced woman opened the door and exclaimed, "YOU! What business do you have here? What will the neighbours think about what you are wearing! GO AWAY! You have the little freak, leave us alone!"

Before she could slam the door in his face, he had pulled out his wand and discreetly pointed it at her, "Petunia dear, you will move aside and let me in, or I _WILL_ force you to."

The woman paled drastically and hurried back several steps, effectively allowing the man into her home. Dumbledore walked around the terrified woman and strolled into the pristine living room.

"Now Petunia, I believe you know why I am here," the old man started in a genial tone, "when I left your nephew here, I had explicit requests of you. Those were the arrangements you agreed to and I gave you plenty of money to see them done. What I want to know is, what happened?"

The woman sneered at the great Albus Dumbledore then started to screech, "How dare you! I did everything you ordered of me! He lived in the cupboard until his letter came. He was beaten by Vernon whenever he did accidental magic, or if Duddy-kins did something naughty. We never told him the truth of his parents deaths, only that they died both drunk in a car crash. He wasn't allowed to get better grades than my baby boy. He was only given the bare minimum of food to keep him alive. I did everything and more than you asked of me. If he didn't turn out the way you planned for him too, that is your fault! Not mine!"

Little did the woman know that the whole time she had been talking the man had been prying through her memories and seeing that she told the absolute truth. By his predictions, the brat should have been as he had planned. ' _Something else must have gone wrong!'_

Dumbledore stood up and began pacing around the room, trying to determine what else could have ruined his plans. Finally, he noticed Petunia Dursley was still standing with her hands clenched, panting. He sighed a heavy sigh and pulled out his wand, discreetly casting _"obliviate,"_ at the woman and apparating back to Hogwarts.

Once he arrived, he sent his Patronus to Minerva McGonagall, summoning her to his office. Five minutes later, he heard his door open and saw his deputy walk in and take a seat opposite him.

"What happened Albus? Did you convince Severus to get the knave to swap houses?" she asked excitedly.

"Huh? Oh no, it turns out the idiot managed to get hit with a potion on Monday and has been ill since. I won't be able to do anything about that problem until he is available for the resort. No, I called you here about something else. I went to visit Petunia Dursley."

"Oh? And what did you discover there? Anything useful?"

The headmaster heaved another sigh, and the woman noticed his eyes lacked their usual twinkle.

"No, not really. I thought maybe they had been too kind to him, or even pushed him to succeed. It would have made sense as to why he was in Slytherin at least. But alas, no. They treated him just as I asked them too, maybe even worse. I think something else must have shaped him into what we see today."

The two discussed what could have caused Harry Potter to become the boy he was late into the night, neither getting any closer to the truth. Nor would they, not for many years...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... there you go. I hope you liked the chapter, I am already starting on the next one but I am not sure how long it will take me to write. Harry should be waking up... but will he be the same?
> 
> WC: 1,400 (not including authors' notes).


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